The Osceola times., 1887-08-20

Boys and the Panther-How AN Indian
Was Whipped by an Old Sow.
The Old Pioneer is bothered almos,
nightly by his great-grandchildren for
stories of his boyhood days and the
ways of the people who lived in the
backwoods of Ohio. The desires of the
boys ran mostly to "reminiscences OF
bears and Indians, tales of war and the
chase. That of Polly inclines more to
stories of tho pioneers themselves. and
Polly being the old mans favorite,
certainly the most imperative Of his
audience, generally has her way about
such things. But the other night her
brothers, one older and the other
younger than Polly, declared so vehe-
hemently that they had right to
choose subject that even Polly,
though, as usual, curlcd up in the old
mans lap, graciously waived what she
considered her vested rights, she adj
mitted for once she should not object
TO story about bear.
"But think If you can't remember
some thing about little bear, Grandpa
"a baby bear-that wouldn't eat up
children like the bears in the Bible
that ATE up the children that told 'Lisha
TO git up. old Baldhead" "
TIE old man laughed little, to him
self as he said: "Well, Poll, I'm not
so mighty sure cf the bars we had them
days was the kind old 'Lisha he'd fol-
lerin' him. Don't b'licve they'd eat
children. Hold on, though; come to
think. they uster eat up lamb now n
then, n they liked a nice, fat little pig
most too well"
Polly shuddered and drew up her
feet until she made herself into little
round ball. with her fluffy yellow hair
as a top-knot and her blue eyes
rounddr and brighter than ever.
81 he'd bar myself, once" con-
timed he; "a little feller Father N
my big brothers brought him home
rom a big hunt they took one time,
after they'd killed the old mother N
the other cub. He wuz bout as big ez
abg puppy, n looked lots like one,
jest ez fat IS butter, 18th a nice. black,
shaggy hide N tn funniest face you
ever saw. He wuz ez cute IS kitten
n bout ez mischievous, soon IS got so
be knowed our ways. He'd git into
more mischief than all the family could
keep him out NV, n 4 he hadn't been SO
blamed comical he'd a gone into tn
meat-barrel ez fresh meat long afore
he did. Mother d say dozen times a
week thet she'd enough ter do 'thout
watchin' a bar, N It wouldn't be more
n an hour afore she'd be laughin' at n
pettin him like tn rest NV us. He'd
watch, n if ever she'd leave tn milk
house SOS he could git til door open
he'd pry roun' till he'd git in, n then
he 90 for tn butter. N lap up whole
crock o milk fore you could say Jack
Robinson. N if she'd come after him
n slap him over. he'd turn summer
set n come up right side foremost n
paddle after her, a cryin' like child
tlll she'd stop N pet him N he'd seem
to think it wuz all right N go of &
Ind somethin' else ter do. Then he'd
90 down by tn pond n watch tn
young ducks N geese till he'd catch
one, n he'd paw it over N over n
play with it till tn old mother'd Jest
raise tn biggest kind O. rumpus N fly
a. 'im in fury. That wuz fun, n
ned never mind it till some one O.
usd come down N make him quit, n
then he d trot off & find somethin'
else By the mex summer Bruno, ez
we called i'm. got ter be right smart
oar, n more full o. mischief N ever.
one Sunday they wuz big meetin' a
rev miles off n we all went. | shet
bruno up in tn corn-crib n
monght he'd stay there all
right He cried n whined when
ne see US all goin' T. leave him-he
nked company better'n most people n
hated worse'n pizen { be shet up. We
stayed till most night, N when
got home mother opened tn door-she
VIM ahead O. the rest NV us-'n jest
stopped n held up her hands N sed:
Mercy on me! Who's bin hereH N
uere wux tn awfulest mess you ever
saw Looked like they'd bin atornado
turned loose n tn house. All tn
cha'rs were turned over n layin' every
which way, n every thin else n tn
room wus mixed up N some O. them
broke. N all over the floor wuz marks
bars feet n tho marks wuz all
,ocky. One o. tn windows wuz open.
all round II wuz marks o. ba rs feet.
ihey went upstairs. too. n mother
nnowed in a minute~vhose feet he'd bin
"ere; n soon's she got over her sur
es'se she begin tsr git mad, n jest
~ uP-staivs. Things thsre wus
soee - ohay vua a0vn-GHnAra ~